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Elena Delle Donne, one of the best players in the WNBA, has been traded to the Washington Mystics. The impetus for the trade was Delle Donne's desire to play closer to her home and her family in Delaware. Delle Donne suggested that she might even be willing to sit out the season in order to make a trade happen.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE CHICAGO SKY
The Sky got a pretty penny in exchange for their superstar: the number two pick in the draft, All-Star center Stefanie Dolson, and last year's number seven overall pick, guard Kahleah Cooper.
Dolson could slot into the starting center spot, working with center Erika de Souza to produce a very solid one-two punch, and Kahleah Copper will have the opportunity to learn from and work with star guard Courtney Vandersloot. This is also a pretty good draft, and having the second overall pick in said draft could be a game changer, whether they keep it or flip it again.
But you’re still losing an MVP-level franchise star in Delle Donne. Losing Sylvia Fowles a few years ago was bad enough, and to lose Delle Donne is even worse. Three years ago, the Sky looked at their core and probably thought they were set for a decade.
Now, they’re going to have to rebuild around youngsters, with no guarantee that it will jell. Chicago has been a pretty solid organization, though, and has a better chance than most to come out okay.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE WASHINGTON MYSTICS
It means they traded the second overall pick, an All-Star, and a rookie guard for maybe the third best player in the entire league. It means they get to pair up star center Emma Meeseman with a franchise superstar.
It means that the pick and roll game, fronted by a guard bigger than most centers, with one of the most gifted frontcourt players rolling to the rim, will be ferocious.
It means that whatever Washington's plans were for the future were just tossed out in favor for something better, for the price of a draft pick, a really good player, and a rook. Lord Almighty. I hope this lives up to its potential.